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Apple's new repair center in Cumberland County: Likely to remain secretive and a tough work place

Apple New iPads

Tech giant Apple is poised to open a repair center in South Middleton Township in Cumberland County. PennLive has yet to secure confirmation from Apple. This June 10, 2013 file photo shows developers looking over new apps being displayed on iPads at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

"Apple doesn't typically roll that way," said Mark Gurman, a senior editor with the online magazine 9to5Mac, who on Wednesday broke the news that the maker of iPhone, iPods and all things Apple had established a repair and distribution center in Carlisle, the first of its kind for the company on the East Coast.

Calls to Apple on Thursday have not been returned.

Gurman, who based his reports on what he called reliable sources, said his sources confirmed that the Cupertino, Calif.-based global tech giant was in the process of setting up an AppleCare facility in Carlisle, which would handle repairs for Apple products on the East Coast.

Jonathan Bowser, CEO of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation, also indicated that the company was in the process of establishing operations in the region, but has kept the process confidential and is likely to keep it that way.

Bowser said Apple has for several months conducted "activity" at a warehouse space located at 700 Allen Road, South Middleton Township. The 200,000-square-foot facility has 2,500 square feet of space available for offices and enough parking for 400 employees.

Apple has yet to confirm the information. Indeed, it is proceeding with typical Apple protocol of keeping everything confidential, if not top secret.

"It suits them quite well," said Van Baker, who covers Apple for Gartner, a market research firm. "They let the trade press and business press speculate like crazy and it keeps Apple on the front page. It doesn't require them to do any PR."

The secretive culture, Baker said, is an intentional one.

"It creates excitement around their product launches," he said.

It is likely that Apple will never make the announcement, and that employees at the repair center will have to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Baker said the driving force behind hiring at Apple is the fit of the prospective employee into the company's culture.

"That is one of the single biggest criteria," Baker said. "They look for very particular personality types that they think will fit into their culture. That's the most significant criteria in terms of making a hiring decision."

"Apple didn't want people to know about their new products, but it has expanded to everything the company does," he said. "I don't know why. That's how it works. They like the element of surprise but in this case there is no surprise."

The tech behemoth sold 33.8 million iPhones in the last quarter, with profits at $7.5 billion - all around better than what analysts had expected.

Apple has $147 billion in its cash drawers, but that doesn't necessarily mean the 400 or so jobs expected to open up in the South Middleton Township facility will entail top-tier compensation.

Apple has a reputation for solid salaries - but not the best in the industry, Baker said.

"The culture is one where people work extremely hard," he said. "It's not do your 9-5 and go home. It's much more 'we have a mission and people are devoted to that mission and doing the best they can.'"

Apple employees, Baker said, have a reputation for working hard and long hours.

"A lot hinges on the fact that they are looking for people who believe in what Apple is doing, who are supportive of Apple's beliefs and what they think the mission of the company is. They have a good work environment but an environment where you are going to work hard."

Apple has reportedly conducted operations at this warehouse at 700 Allen Road, South Middleton Township for several months. By all appearances, the 200,000-square-foot facility -- with 2,500 square feet of space available for offices Ã¢ÃÂÃÂ will become the new East Coast U.S. AppleCare Center.The South Middleton Twp. building said to be the future home of an Apple facility.Charles Thompson, PennLive

Unlike many tech companies, Apple does little outsourcing, managing its products and experience from end to end.

Jobs at the South Middleton facility are expected to span shipping, distribution, operations management and, of course, repair. The company, Gurman said, will be looking to hire workers with the technical skills needed to repair Apple products.

Gurman said the company typically offers extensive training for repair operations.

On Thursday, the parking lot at the site - 700 Allen Road, South Middleton Township - was filled with cars with California license plates.

Apple's headquarters - and until now only repair center - is in Cupertino, Calif. Gurman said that, more than likely, Apple has dispatched staff from California to not only launch the Pennsylvania site, but train its new workforce.

He was confident that in addition to transferring California staff to Carlisle, Apple would also hire locally.

"This is a pretty big deal," Gurman said. "They are going to be there for a while. When Apple puts down land, they stick with it."

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